Strike a pose for the return of one of the most glamorous nights in Manchester’s cultural calendar—the House of Suarez Vogue Ball, undoubtedly the must-be-seen-at party of the Queer Contact season.
A staple of the festival and a meeting point between club nights and high art, it takes its cue from the legendary New York City parties of the 1970s, events where young Black and Latinx LBGTQ+ people could showcase their flamboyance in the encouraging safety of a diverse and daring community. The Vogue Ball comes from a deep place, but it’s also a night of pure spectacle—that is the event’s cast-iron guarantee.
The party takes over Manchester Academy 1 on Fri 18 Feb with tickets already down to standing only. And it’s little wonder, because this year’s style and performance theme is an absolute belter: dubbed Night at the Poseum, it’s inspired by treasures from around the globe that are currently on display in museums throughout the North West. With history’s most important civilisations as their style guide, the possibilities to dazzle on this year’s catwalk are truly endless!
Leading this year’s ball is Master of Ceremonies Captain Rikki Beadle-Blair—an actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, singer-songwriter, designer, choreographer and dancer, so someone with just the right credentials to lead the audience through the extravaganza of costume, dance, and high drama as Houses compete for titles in Fantasy, Solo, Lip Synch, Sex Siren and Choreography.
He’s also a fantastic advocate for finding who you are and living it to its fullest, summed up quite brilliantly by his recent tweet: “This year decide to be beautiful. And smart, sexy, blessed, generous, joyous and free. Which you already are. Your own kind of everything. You are you for a reason. Stop denigrating, start elevating. You don’t need to be anything but you. That’s ambition. That’s success.”
Tickets for this one aren’t likely to stick around for long, so hit the button below to secure your spot.
Fri 18 Feb, 7pm, Manchester Academy 1, Manchester University Students Union, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PR
- Words:
- Sarah Walters
- Published on:
- Tue 25 Jan 2022
